Gauge now says empty when it's not

nina17 · May 3, 2008

I have a gas tank issue I'd like some feedback on, please!

The scenario: low gas light turns on and the computer screen tells me I have only a couple of miles to go (like 5 or so).

What I do: fill up the tank to full. It used to be that I would get a full 21 gallon fill up and then after servicing, this changed. I used to get 430 miles on my tank.

What happens now: I only get to fill up 18.5-19 gallons. I get at most 400 miles per tank.

The problem: the car has a 21.7 gallon capacity, the tank is supposedly empty according to the gauge but I was able to fill up only 19 gallons.

I mentioned this to the dealer and they said that nothing was wrong.

Any feedback?

Thanks in advance!

manitoba murano · May 3, 2008

I've never been able to pump in more than 72l, or about 19 gallons. Short of flipping the car over on it's side and emptying the tank that way, I'd say pumping in 19 gallons from empty is normal. There is a general consensus that there is a 1-2 gallon reserve in the MO beyond the empty indicators.

As for the range, I think CR listed it as about 405miles. You trip computer will vary, greatly, depending on the type of driving you are currently/recently doing.

Gonzo · May 3, 2008

It is proabably the same with the MO as with aircrarft... the 21.7 might not be the actual fuel tank capacity but perhaps the fuel system capacity thus you are not able to fill more than 19 gallons since the rest of the system already has fuel in it.

Why do you run it so low between fillings anyhow?

zebelkhan · May 3, 2008

With "low fuel" light on and "Distance to Empty" marker showing "*" I am not able to pump in more than 19 gallons in there. I know fuel tank capacity is more because on one ocasion I drove nearly 25 additional miles before I was able to get to a gas station and that time I put in almost 20 gallons in. So I would say your gauges are correct.

nina17 · May 3, 2008

Thanks for the input.

I run it low because I used to have at least 30 miles more to empty than I do now, so I'm taking the risk that I won't get stuck and I never got stuck so far.

I'm just wondering why it changed after the 30,000 mile maintenance... kinda weird, no?

Eric L. · May 3, 2008

When my gas light comes on, I have around 3.5 gallons remaining, and this seems to be the consensus from most MO owners. If your light did not come on before until you were almost empty (21 gallons), I think that's actually not typical.

Most I've ever put into the MO was a little over 20 gallons, and that was driving around with the gas light on for a while.

Miles per tank is a meaningless figure since some people fill up more frequently than others. Measure your miles per gallon and compare to the before and after values. I bet they have not changed. Also do not rely on the distance to empty meter - it is just an estimate and the computer resets it to some default value after they probably disconnected the battery during the 30k service.

nina17 · May 3, 2008

Thanks Eric L. and all of you. What you say makes perfect sense.

I guess I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to buy my 2005 SL MO or lease a new one.

I'm not happy with the new 09 SL because they took out 3 favorites of mine:
1. Memory seat, 2. Adjustable pedals and 3. tape deck (I plug my ipod that way).

If I don't have major issues with the MO I have now, I'll just buy it and have all the luxuries I've gotten accustomed to.

Eric L. · May 3, 2008

nina17 said:
Thanks Eric L. and all of you. What you say makes perfect sense.

I guess I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to buy my 2005 SL MO or lease a new one.

I'm not happy with the new 09 SL because they took out 3 favorites of mine:
1. Memory seat, 2. Adjustable pedals and 3. tape deck (I plug my ipod that way).

If I don't have major issues with the MO I have now, I'll just buy it and have all the luxuries I've gotten accustomed to.

For #3, I think all 09's come with an aux input for external MP3 players - its even better than the tape adapter, since all you need is a cord with an audio jack on both ends (buy it at radioshack).

And I don't know, but I would guess all 09 MOs have telescopic steering columns, eliminating the need for the adjustable pedals. For the memory seats, it looks like they stick buyers with having buy the top of the line LE.

shelland · May 4, 2008

When my gas light comes on, I have around 3.5 gallons remaining, and this seems to be the consensus from most MO owners. If your light did not come on before until you were almost empty (21 gallons), I think that's actually not typical.

That's my experience as well. I've had my MO since last May, and looking at my records, the most I've ever put in my tank is 18.5, with only 4 fills every topping 18 gallons. If I wait to fill up until my "miles till empty" is very near 0, I get close to 18 gallons. I think I've only seen the "*" twice, and I certainly don't push it past that, even though I know I probably have several miles left.

I see this topic pop up every now and then, but I know there was an indepth discussion shortly after I got my MO. I can't seem to find it right now. There was a thread on the same subject in this forum last week.

And why it changed around 30k, I'm not sure. Mine has been the same every since I bought it with about 13k on it.

nina17 · May 5, 2008

shelland,

Don't you think that if you only put 18.5 gallons into a 21.7 gallon tank, you probably have alot more than a couple of miles left even though you see the "*" sign?

I don't really mind the sign anymore because I drive until I see 400 miles driven on my trip total and I know I can go at least another 30-40 miles if I had to.

Lightninrod · May 5, 2008

Not sure if this warning applies to Muranos but I've always heard that you're taking an unnecessary risk by running all or most of the fuel out of the tank. The risk is that contaminants that settle to the bottom of the tank may be sucked into the fuel filter/pump.

Dan

Gauge now says empty when it's not

nina17

manitoba murano

Gonzo

zebelkhan

nina17

Eric L.

nina17

Eric L.

shelland

nina17

Lightninrod

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